1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wheel unit for an article of luggage, and, more particularly, to a wheel unit which includes a wheel housing, a wheel support releasably connectable thereto, and a wheel rotatably connected to the wheel support. The wheel support and wheel may be quickly and easily disconnected from the wheel housing to permit replacement of the wheel when damaged.
2. Background Art
It is common for luggage manufacturers to provide articles of luggage with wheel units to facilitate translation of the luggage along the ground. In the event of damage to the wheel unit, it may become necessary to replace only the actual wheel. Often times, however, due to the structure of the luggage article, removal and replacement of the wheel is a complex, tedious, and expensive task, which requires the use of special tools and can involve having to remove the entire wheel unit or dismantle the article of luggage.
Currently, most wheel assemblies used for rolling luggage are integrally attached to the frame or superstructure of the luggage article. Inevitably, some amount of wheel failure occurs, either due to a defect inherent in the wheel itself, misuse, or both. Due to the nature of the attachment of the wheel to the luggage, repair of the problem requires partial disassembly of the luggage article, which may (and usually does) include removing at least a portion of the interior lining to gain access to the back of the wheel housing, removing riveted parts and other time-consuming, costly and unnecessarily destructive steps.
It would be advantageous, therefore, to be able to replace the wheel without removing the entire wheel housing or dismantling or entering the luggage article.